Place: Ratings & Reviews

Reviews by Drinkerofales:

I go here sometimes when I am looking for something new. Wine isn't my thing, so I was surprised to find some interesting beers here, plus some mead selections.

It's primarily a wine shop, so the beer is kind of a throw in. Nice place overall though.

Service is really good, one of the guys working there saved me some Knuckle Sandwich(even bought me one for Christmas). He is glad to talk beer, or get the beer ordering guy to help out. He also recommended a good Holiday Imp Stout for me, which got me started on the Imp Stouts and loving them.

I get the Hopsicle here for 2 bucks cheaper than BevMo, so I know it has some good value, but other than that, it's on par or cheaper with everything else, occasionally, a little more.

More User Reviews:

I stopped by here after The Bruery so I could grab some styro shippers to send back home to Florida. I did not expect to see any beer, but lo and behold $60 later I left with a Bois, Deliverance, and Curieux. Had my wife not been with me I would have grabbed one of the many Boulevard BBQs they had, or some regulars from Lost Abbey, Port, and Allagash Fluxus since I can't get them in Florida. They also had a wine tasting going on in the back area, and it looked like a nice bunch of pours for $20. Mostly wine, but a nice shelf full of beer in the back. Great service and styro shipper were cheap. Worth a stop.

This place is like 90% wine, 8% spirits, 2% beer. I only go here when I am working in the area, and most of the time I tend to leave empty handed, or end up leaving with stuff not beer related. You may find a better haul sometimes at the local bevmo which is kind of sad. With craft beer getting extremely popular they should probably think about giving that small beer section they have some love and revamping. They do have a few above average beers, but nothing that wows you. They have the basics of OC beer offers in the bruery and bootleggers, some basic Belgium beers, and German styles too.

Visited this locale on 8/13/08 after dropping my sister off at the Block. Located in North Orange off 55, and just south of the 91, this place is hard to find at first, since you have to drive through about 2 miles of this gigantic shopping center that runs parallel to Tustin St. The Wine Exchange is located on the north end.

Once inside, you see the store is about 90% wine, this is a wine store first and foremost it seems to me. A lot of spirits as well. Beer is unrefrigerated against the back. Solid offerings of mostly imports, good amount of Belgians and English brews. American craft selection is lower than I expected, saw some Alesmith Speedway and Green Flash among the regular stuff you're bound to find at any BevMo. I did see a few beers that I haven't seen before in the Southland - picked up a Jopen Adriaan. Was wary about buying a lot since a lot of the bottles were covered in dust, so I didn't know how they would be treated, but they seemed fine once I opened them. Service was nothing special, but not bad, no one talked to be until I was wrung up. Prices were very good. Saw Carnegie Porter '04 on sale for $3.69, at Hi-Times, it's usually in the $6 range. Picked up a 750 of Jenlain for $5.99, and a 330 of Castelain (never seen it in that size before) for around $3, I don't remeber exactly.

In conclusion, it's a good store if you're in the immediate area and want something a little out of the ordinary, but most of the time, I'd probably just go to BevMo for regular beer-shopping, their overall local CA and craft selection is just better.

Despite its name, The Wine Exchange offers a great selection of imported bottled beers at a very good price. Located on the north end of the Village in Orange, the place is hidden away from the view of Tustin Avenue, the artery that runs parallel to the Village. The retail floor is huge, but much of it (you guessed it) is dedicated to wine; the beer section sits along the back wall of the store.

As a place for beer, it hold a unique niche. The focus of beers here is different that what you would see at BevMo just down the street. At The Wine Exchange, it's all about imported beers. You will find brands like DeRanke, Piraat, Lindemans, Traquair Jacobite, La Chouffe, Moinette, Orval, Westmalle, Samichlaus, Fantôme, Samuel Smith, Rochefort, and so many more on the shelves. They have a decent selection of American craft beers available too, with North Coast, Flying Dog, AleSmith, and a handful others. Very few "major brand beer" selections. Keep an eye on the age of a bottle though, some of the beer looks as though it's been sitting there for some time and I myself have gotten a bad bottle for not looking.

They have great prices on top of all this. I was able to get five half-liters of Weihenstephan plus it's weizen glass for under $12 in a gift set. A six-pack of Kostritzer went for $6.99, where at the more popular BevMo goes for $3 more! 2004 vintages of Carnegie Porter went for just $3.49, where I've seen it at Hi-Time for double the price! Even at worst, you'll pay the same price elsewhere.

At first I didn't appreciate the service, but I have grown to adore its excellence over the months I have started shopping here. There are always a few employees in the front of the store ready to open a checkout line, and there are always at least a few employees on the retail floor. They may specialize in wine, but they know a thing or two about beer.

The Wine Exchange is wine first, so it gets overlooked at a hot spot for beer. BevMo (just southward) might be better for domestic craft beers, but if you're looking at imports, make the Wine Exchange your first destination for imported beer.